Digital Commons Network^™

"En Papel,” Not In Practice: Indigenous Autonomy And The Structural Barriers To Land And Resource Control In Bolivia, Andrew F. Purcell

Honors Theses

This thesis examines why Bolivia’s 2009 plurinational constitution—despite its strong recognition of Indigenous autonomy, collective territory, and prior consultation—often produces rights that remain “en papel” rather than in practice. Based on one month of fieldwork in Tumupasa, Chojasivi, La Paz, El Alto, and Santa Cruz, the study draws on interviews, participant observation, and NGO documents to analyze the structural barriers that prevent constitutional guarantees from becoming enforceable governance tools. This gap between recognition and implementation structures the central research question: why do Bolivia’s constitutional and legal protections for indigenous land and resource rights function as symbolic guarantees rather than enforceable …

Evolution Of Nematode Prey Chemotaxis Behavior Across Different Environments, Hailey R. Smith

Honors Theses

Climatic conditions in the near future are projected to be warmer, with more frequent and intense weather events. This will substantially alter the environments in which organisms must integrate specific information to find essential resources. Many organisms rely upon chemical signals to orient towards attractive resources through a mechanism called chemotaxis. How different environmental conditions, like temperature, impact this process will be important to understand as environments change. I conducted a laboratory evolution experiment with the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to see how success in chemotaxis assays changes over time when selected under different temperature regimes (normal laboratory temperature, increased …

From The Editors, Linda Doornbos Dr., Michele S. Phillips

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

None

Examining Financial Literacy And The Impact Of Education And Certification On Rural Hospital Administrators, Austin Scott Crowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Speak It Into Existence: Mind Body And Soul In The African American Prophetic Tradition, William Burgess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project offers the term “Speak It into Existence” as a rhetorical practice inherent in the African American Prophetic Tradition. Moreover “Speak It into Existence” highlights the synergetic and systematic characteristics of the African American Prophetic Tradition which speaks to the entirety of the individual mind, body and soul. Rooted inside the field of prophetic rhetoric, the African American Prophetic Tradition affirms the social, political and sacred realities of prophetic rhetoric. The rhetorical theology of the African American Prophetic Tradition rhetorically transfers the social, political, and sacred realities of prophetic rhetoric into its own systematic foci of liberation, transformation …

Debriefing In Emergency Departments And Intensive Care Units To Combat Compassion Fatigue, Madison N. Chiolino

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Compassion fatigue can be associated with nurses working in increased stressful environments such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Room (ER).  There is a gap in healthcare facilities, where structured interventions like debriefing tools are not implemented to address compassion fatigue. The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a debriefing tool in areas where nurses are placed in high stress scenarios such as the intensive care unit and emergency department can aid in combating compassion fatigue. A piloted quantitative pre-and post-survey intervention design was used. Data was collected using the ProQOL 5 and PEARLS debriefing …

Practicing In Broken Systems: An Advanced Integrated Social Work Portfolio, Andrew Tomt

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as an advanced integrated social worker within behavioral health and crisis response systems. Grounded in the ten CSWE competencies, it illustrates my progression from foundational generalist practice to a more complex, systems-oriented approach that integrates ethical decision-making, trauma-informed care, research-informed practice, and policy awareness. Drawing on my practicum experience in Mobile Crisis Assessment and Triage (MCAT) in Spokane, Washington, the portfolio demonstrates my ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate across micro, mezzo, and macro levels. It highlights my commitment to social justice, cultural humility, and least-restrictive care, while also addressing the challenges of working …

Msw Portfolio, Jasmine J. Klingaman

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This Master of Social Work (MSW) portfolio presents a comprehensive demonstration of professional growth and mastery of the ten core competencies as aligned with the standards of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Department of Social Work. Through selected artifacts and critical reflection, the portfolio illustrates the integration of knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes essential for advanced integrated practice. Emphasis is placed on ethical and professional behavior, engagement with diversity and difference, and the application of research-informed and evidence-based practice. The portfolio further highlights competence in policy practice, engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation across …

Msw Portfolio, Hannah N. Vasquez

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as a Master of Social Work student, demonstrating integration of relational, trauma-informed practice with systems-level analysis. Drawing on coursework and practicum experiences, it illustrates competency across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice. Selected artifacts highlight the application of theoretical frameworks, engagement in critical self-reflection, and a commitment to advancing social justice. Particular emphasis is placed on caregiver engagement, community-based practice, and addressing structural barriers that impact well-being. Overall, this portfolio reflects my readiness for professional social work practice and my commitment to equitable, relationship-centered, and systems-informed approaches.

What Do We Owe A Drowning Coast? Examining Louisiana's Coastal Crisis Through The Lens Of Environmental Justice, Owen M. Plaisance

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that human contributions to Louisiana’s coastal land loss constitute a form of environmental injustice that cannot be adequately addressed through frameworks focused solely on aggregate welfare or distributive fairness. While utilitarian and Rawlsian approaches offer important insights, both are limited in capturing the full scope of harm caused by environmental degradation. In coastal Louisiana, land loss undermines not only economic resources and physical security but also the substantive freedoms required for individuals and communities to live meaningful and culturally rooted lives, while disrupting ecological systems and non-human flourishing. To address these limitations, the thesis develops the Capabilities …

Social Prescribing For Refugee Populations: A Rapid Realist Review Of International Evidence, Victoria Touzel, Doreen Reifegerste, Luisa Bartz, Anna-Lena Esser, Kerryn Husk

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundSocial prescribing offers potential for addressing social determinants of health and supporting health equity among disadvantaged groups. However, evidence for refugee populations remains limited, despite this group facing profound social and systemic barriers. This rapid realist review synthesizes social prescribing and comparable social-capital based intervention evidence to address this gap.MethodsWe conducted a RAMESES-compliant rapid realist review supported by an expert advisory board. Searches across six databases (2014–2024) were supplemented by grey literature and citation chasing strategies. Eligible studies included refugee, asylum-seekers and forcibly displaced populations engaged in either formal social prescribing or comparably operationalized social-capital interventions. Synthesis developed Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations …

Badlands And Bison, Andrew Ressler

The Cicadian

“Badlands and Bison” is a fragmentary travel-fiction hybrid set in the mythic badlands of North Dakota. It merges reportage with invention, parody with elegy: a narrator half pilgrim, half comedian drifts from piano keys to prairie herds, searching for sincerity in a landscape that resists it. The form bends between essay and story, using humor, lyric observation, and shifting registers to question how we mythologize place.

Foreword

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

How To Hang A Mezuzah, Rachel Beanland

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Rooted, Emily Wortman-Wunder

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Memories Like Splintered Glass, Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Distinguished Alumni

Lloyd Clark Papers

Program for the 1999 Distinguished Alumni Gala at The University of Texas at Arlington

A Set Of Best Practices For Administering Zoom Debate Competitions, John F. Patrick Ii

Studies in Debate and Oratory

Running a debate competition over Zoom is not just a technical exercise. It’s an educational event that asks organizers to balance fairness, logistics, and civic purpose in a medium that was never designed with debate in mind. The Civic Debate Consortium has used Zoom extensively to host competitions since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of higher education into online environments. Over the past several years we’ve developed a set of practices for administering competitions over Zoom that make the difference between a chaotic video call and a polished, professional experience. This article outlines those practices, not as abstract …

The Art Of Securing “Strong Places” Overseas—A History Of A British Naval Base In Oman In The Early Twentieth Century, Terence M. Nicholas

Naval War College Review

Securing a “strong place” overseas without disrupting local politics or agitating rivals is as crucial today as it has ever been. The experience of the British in northern Oman in the early twentieth century has more than academic relevance today.

Artificial Intelligence Challenge To Strategic Assessment Organizations, Thomas J. Welch

Naval War College Review

As artificial intelligence—particularly agentic artificial intelligence—continues to evolve, defense strategists must understand its capabilities and limitations. Emerging technologies will impact established frameworks, practices, and rhythms, and strategic-assessment organizations in particular must maximize efficiency while preserving the human elements that are indispensable to strategic planning.

Letter From Richard Francaviglia To Lloyd C. Clark

Lloyd Clark Papers

Correspondence from Richard Francaviglia to Lloyd C. Clark dated March 15, 1993.

Constructed Care: Stitching Patient Journeys Through Quilting And Healthcare Design, Ashley D. Moberly

Graduate Final Projects

This thesis investigates how healthcare environments can better support patient experience through improved wayfinding, spatial clarity, and human-centered design strategies. Contemporary healthcare systems are often complex and difficult to navigate, placing additional cognitive and emotional burdens on patients, particularly those traveling from rural and underserved regions. Drawing from both professional experience in healthcare facilities planning and a comprehensive review of literature on spatial perception, wayfinding, and patient-centered care, this research identifies key challenges in how patients' access, interpret, and move through healthcare environments.

In response, the study introduces the Quilt Logic System, a conceptual framework that translates principles derived from …

Spatial Analysis Of Heavy Metal Leaching Threats From North Dakota Landfills To Drinking Water Aquifers, Leila Campbell

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Groundwater is a primary fresh water source for most rural communities in North Dakota. The EPA acknowledges that landfill leakage is not a matter of if but when, and early detection can be extremely difficult. This project identifies which counties and aquifers face the greatest threat from landfill heavy-metal leaching based on proximity, waste types, and groundwater vulnerability, thereby indicating which landfills warrant the closest monitoring and regulatory compliance.   The methodology combines two indexes. The DRASTIC index identifies aquifer vulnerability to surface pollution based on hydrogeologic factors. These factors are weighted by their significance to produce a score that reflects …

Party, Place, And Pocketbooks: What Shapes Americans’ Trust In Political Institutions, Hwayong Shin

Weidenbaum Center Survey (WCS) Reports

Evidence from the Weidenbaum Center Surveys (Waves 6–8) suggests that trust in institutions has not simply evaporated. Instead, it is being sorted along several cleavages, such as partisanship, geography, and personal economic security. While trust in the federal government remains relatively low yet stable from May 2025 to March 2026, trust in specific institutions varies across partisan, geographic, and economic cleavages. This fragmentation of trust points to a potential challenge to the stability of American democracy.

From Identification To Implementation: Anti-Gentrification Strategies In Planning The Omaha Beltline Trail, Curtis Dedman

Public Administration Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Urban green infrastructure projects provide significant environmental and public health benefits but can also contribute to gentrification and displacement. This study examines how anti-gentrification strategies were identified, incorporated, and implemented in the planning of the Omaha Beltline Trail, a multi-phase redevelopment project in North Omaha. Given its ongoing development, the project offers a unique opportunity to analyze equitable planning in real time rather than retrospectively.

Beyond The Ivory Tower: Perceptions, Practices, And The Institutionalization Of Community Engagement At St. Augustine University Of Tanzania, Delphine Kessy

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This qualitative study provides a comprehensive analysis of academic staff perceptions and practices of community engagement (CE) at the Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT). Framed by Boyer’s theory of the scholarship of application and contemporary models of university engagement, both a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design and thematic analysis of open-ended responses from 14 academic departments at SAUT were used, with a total of 35 participants informing this study. The findings revealed a robust, practice-driven understanding of CE as a collaborative and reciprocal partnership, widely regarded as a core university function alongside teaching and research. Staff reported a rich spectrum …

As I Live And Breathe, Jessica Fitzgerald

Theses

This thesis employs the unique materiality of glass as a means of investigating interconnection and worth. Through glass, I explore the value of attention, and how directing it informs a sense of what matters. By allowing the fundamental forces of heat and gravity to lead the work, I explore connection, and the hidden ways in which Process influences Piece. The particular malleability of warm glass enables me to capture moments of making. It is the lens through which I focus my investigations, highlighting phenomena in process as the evidence of its creation.

Hotspot Analysis Of Nitrate And Arsenic Concentrations In Minnesota Well Water, Jadyn Keeler

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Water contamination is one of the biggest threats to water supply and can have long term human health consequences. It is key to identify vulnerable regions to develop better management strategies. This project utilizes hotspot and outlier geospatial analysis to locate areas across Minnesota with elevated levels of nitrate and arsenic in well water and better understand potential factors that might be influencing this. Statistically significant hotspots and cold spots were identified with up to 99% confidence. Hotspots of nitrate were located mainly in the south-central region while hotspots of arsenic were located primarily in the western and south-central portions …

An Analysis Of Accounting Topics Through Case Studies, Nathan J. Hilzinger

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses and evaluates various contemporary accounting topics and issues through five different case studies in both a group and individual setting. These cases are intended to give students an opportunity to research a broad range of topics and get an in-depth view of different companies, economists, and current events relating to accounting and broader business topics. Through this process students are required to use their financial accounting knowledge gained from previous classes, critical thinking skills, and continue to develop their writing skills in both an educational and professional capacity. The content of this thesis is largely derived from …

Hospitalidad Sin Barreras: A Place-Based Approach To Resource Accessibility For Immigrant Communities In North Mississippi, Jackelyn Facio

Honors Theses

This project examines barriers to resource access for Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in Lafayette County, Mississippi. Using a place-based community engagement approach, the project incorporates mixed methods to produce a resource guide for Spanish- speaking immigrants in Lafayette County. Findings showed that access is shaped not only by available services, but also by interconnected barriers such as language, fragmented information systems, and concerns related to trust and safety. These barriers discourage individuals from interacting with formal institutions, resulting in a reliance on informal information networks. In response to the data collected from area residents, the project sought to centralize community input …